Page 30 of Dying to Meet You

I’ve been awake less than an hour. Give me a damn break. No, the news doesn’t factor into my day. I hear enough on the job to make me disregard most of what filters through to news outlets. “What’s that?”

“Remember Dr. Michael Wells?”

How could I forget? How could any of us forget him? His involvement with Lawrence Hutton and the Realists became well publicized with his arrest. “Of course.”

“Documents and directives were found in his offices through a search warrant done on that doctor from Cedars Sinai who was caught doing medical experimentation. Sounds like there is another Camp Carroll-type situation they detail.”

My stomach dips as he tells me this.

Between the message on the thumb drive courtesy of the Realists and now this, that dark cloud hovering is growing in size. I’m not opposed to Hutton’s idea of removing Eden and the kids to a safe location, with the caveat that we join them. What little time I get with them is too precious to cut off for an unknown time frame. “Were you involved with the preliminary investigation into the tip on Camp Carroll?” I’ve never asked Matt anything about that time period, knowing how it affected him.

Harrison rubs a hand over his chin as he sighs. “No. I was involved in the raid along with Matt, but the tip was mishandled. You really should ask M-” He stops himself when we see Matt approaching. Lowering his voice, he says, “Matt requested all the case files. You really should ask him about Halcyon.”

Matt stops dead in his tracks.

Fighting for my life not to laugh as he turns to look at us baffled, I put my hand over my mouth. By the looks of it a lawsuit or aneurysm is going to happen soon. Thankfully, Eden will know just how to spin this. The large twelve-by-twelve-foot wooden sign is spray painted with: “Hey Neighbor, what are the loopholes that allow you to get away with f**ing all those a**holes?” To be fair, it sounds catchy. Plus, he’s only making himself look bad, not us. He’s well aware of the fact children live here. Eden took a can of spray paint from the garage, putting an X over “you” and replacing it with “me” sprayed above it, then added lines through letters of the swear words. If he decides to report the amendment to his sign, then he has to deal with the original message being harassment and a hate crime.

“What the hell is with this guy?” Matt says, his face flushing red. “I want the sign down. Now.”

Eden sees Matt with us through the kitchen window and comes rushing out of the house. “Hi, honey.” With quick steps she moves in front of him. “The sun is out. The birds are chirping. My common sense has returned. As Caleb would say, ‘I’m now walking with the Lord.” She laughs uneasily at him. “Matt, honey?”

I get being furious; I’m not happy about what the guy did either, but his irritability lately is rooted in something else. “I’m sure I can persuade him to remove it.” Kind of. It’s still better that I make contact than him. “Cooler heads prevailing type thing…”

The crackpot in question comes into view on his riding lawn mower. When he sees us, he raises his hand over his head, the middle finger proudly shaking at us. What a miserable human being. “I’ll handle it,” Steve says shaking his head. “None of you should set foot on his property.”

It’s decided we should all go inside while Steve and Dave pay him a visit. I snap a couple pictures of the sign on my phone before following Matt and Eden inside. “...day so far. What’s going to happen next? What we need is a tall privacy fence.” Matt paces around the kitchen ranting.

Eden’s fingers curl through mine. I give her hand a squeeze back. The best thing to do when Matt is upset is to wait him out. Once he loses some steam, he checks his phone. “Damn it, I was waiting for that call. I have to run.” He stops short, looking at Eden with a smirk. “You need to stay out of trouble.” Kissing her quickly he then turns to me, “And you need to return Hutton’s call.” After laying a soft kiss to the side of my mouth in distraction, he’s off.

Matt and I haven’t had a private moment to talk for a couple weeks. I’m trying not to take it personally, but I am. There hasn’t been intimacy, nor does he talk to me about any of his cases. There haven’t even been any check-ins about mine. Steve mentioning I should talk to him about Camp Carroll shouldn’t have felt impossible. Are we growing apart? “Hmmm, bye?” I say after he’s out the door.

Halcyon. Why does that sound familiar? Fat chance I’ll have an opportunity to ask Matt about it since he’s putting in eighteen-hour days lately, then crashing in his room…alone.

“I wasn’t trying to start a war with our neighbor but come on...” Eden blows on her coffee leaning back against the counter. She’s wearing my favorite color on her: royal blue- it makes her eyes shimmer and spark. Her simple, flowy dress hits mid-thigh. A part of me wants to go in late, dragging her off to bed and being selfish for a while since I’m always sharing her in the bedroom. It’s rare we spend time alone. “I know that look,” she says teasingly.

“You have no idea how much I want to stay, but I’m meeting with a federal prosecutor in forty-five minutes.” My parting kiss is no peck. Lifting her off her feet, my lips prod hers as our tongues collide. Left short of breath, she pulls at my arm as I start to turn to leave. “Tonight?”

Please say yes.

She dumps the rest of her coffee in the sink winking at me. “You better believe it. Just us?”

“God, yes.”

I’ll take the bitching from Blaine; he can sleep solo for one night. His selfishness doesn’t trump my need for our wife.

Chapter Seventeen

Sweet friendships refresh the soul

Caleb

Strainsofthechoir’slast hymn drift down the hallway to the meeting room.

The space is open. Children’s drawings are taped to one wall, a tray of stale-looking cookies is on the counter, and beat-up folding chairs are set up around a wobbly-looking table. Becca waves at me from where she’s seated with a Bible open in front of her.

I hadn’t bothered to bring a Bible with me, not even sure if I’d go to the adult ministry after. “Caleb, what a nice surprise.” Becca pulls the chair out next to her. “I’d hoped you would come.”

The elderly male leading the study stands near a sink putting his weight on a cane. He’s nodded my way in the past, but I’ve never spoken to him. When he begins to talk with a lisp, I lean forward like it will help me understand him better. “We’come, wets gwo ower…” I find myself hoping he’s not doing all the talking today, then blush at the mean thought crossing my mind. It’s a challenge to make out what he’s saying. Thank God Blaine isn’t here with me.

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